THE DISTRESS OF THE CROWDS / THE MISSION OF THE TWELVE / MISSIONARIES WILL BE PERSECUTED / OPEN AND FEARLESS SPEECH / JESUS, THE CAUSE OF DISSENSION / RENOUNCING SELF TO FOLLOW JESUS / CONCLUSION OF THE INSTRUCTION
Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness. In addition, when he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is rich but the laborers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to his harvest.' (SEE: Acts 1:15-26) Then he summoned his twelve disciples, began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: First, Simon who is known as Peter and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, And his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alpheus, And Thaddeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who was also his betrayer. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: "Do not make your way to gentile territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. In addition, as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is nearby. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin-diseases, drive out devils. You received without charge, give without charge. Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you go into, seek out someone worthy and stay with him until you leave." In addition, he said to them, "If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, may your peace come upon it; if it does not, may your peace come back to you. And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet as evidence to them. (SEE: Acts 13:50-51) In truth I tell you, on the Day of Judgment it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as snakes and yet innocent as doves. Be prepared for people to hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as evidence to them and to the gentiles. But when you are handed over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes, because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will come forward against their parents and have them put to death. You will be universally hated because of my name; but anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved. If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in another. In truth, I tell you, you will not have gone the round of the towns of Israel before the Son of man comes. Disciple is not superior to teacher, or slave to master. It is enough for disciple to grow to be like teacher, and slave like master. If they have called the master of the house "Beelzebub", how much more the members of his household? So do not be afraid of them. Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? Yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. However, the one who disowns me in the presence of human beings, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven. Do you suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword and division. For from now on, a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three. For I have come to set father opposed to son, son against father, daughter rebels against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law, mother against daughter, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law; a person's enemies come from within the household itself. (Micah 7:6) No one who prefers father or mother to me is worthy of me. No one who prefers son or daughter to me is worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow my example is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet's reward; and anyone who welcomes an upright person because he is upright will have the reward of an upright person. If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not go without his reward." When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns to proclaim the good news and repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and healing everywhere. (SEE: James 5:14-15) Return